Qatar's Interior Ministry will conduct raids to arrest workers who have absconded from their sponsors.
Colonel Rashid Al Atik, head of the ministry's public relations office, said police will search for absconding workers and take strict action against them.
Speaking at a press conference, Al Atik said an increasing number of workers, usually unskilled or semiskilled, have absconded from their sponsors and were seeking employment elsewhere.
He said police have identified the areas where the workers are hiding and will take action soon.
He said these workers live a pitiful life and are always in search of a livelihood. "We do not want this to happen", said Al Atik. "The Interior ministry aims at checking violation of law and maintaining a strict control on the flow of expatriates in the country."
He said police search will be more effective with the help of sponsors and appealed to employers to file complaints about absconding workers and hand over their passports to the authorities. "This will help the ministry in estimating their numbers."
He said the Department of Search and Follow Up at the ministry will conduct the raids. The campaign will target shops, factories and other establishments which are suspected of employing these workers.
